This invention relates generally to household tools such as a toilet bowl plunger or kitchen plunger. More particularly, the invention is located in the bathroom for resting a toilet bowl plunger, keeping the floor dry of dirty toilet water after the plunger is used. The feature of a vertically raised edge around the edge of the mat or holder prevents the soiled water from spilling to the floor. The terms mat and holder refer to the present invention and are to be used interchangeably.
Drains throughout the house can become problematic, deeming it appropriate to have more than one waterproof mat. You would not use a toilet plunger in the kitchen sink. There would be a “clean” plunger for jobs such as this. This invention is very simple to manufacture and would be affordable to own more than one. It is small and would fit comfortably in the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink to rest a short handle plunger. It is perfect for fitting in the bathroom, beside and to the rear of the toilet bowl or between the bath tub and the toilet bowl.
Most retail choices of toilet plunger holders do not work with every size plunger. And, the holder does not guarantee they will not tip over during removal or replacement of the toilet plunger. Replacing the plunger must be done slowly because the holder is only big enough to fit the correct size plunger, it could easily tip over onto its side or just skid across the floor.
An example of a plunger holder is U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,281 B1—by Jeffery. This invention, though more compact than most of the other plunger receptacles, is a holder that has hinges used to open and close the flaps where the toilet plunger is inserted at the top of the canister, these hinges could break and become unusable, any movable parts can malfunction or break leaving the holder unusable. The holder must be cleaned by hand and is not mold and mildew resistant. It is not small enough to fit in the small space to the side and rear of the toilet bowl and maneuver flaps to open and close for removal and replacement of a plunger.
Other choices are toilet plunger canisters or receptacles. These can be very costly and will not fit in every bathroom comfortably. They are large and bulky, most having movable parts during removal and replacement of the plunger. An example of such designs are U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,322 A—by Borger and Borger, a very large canister, large enough to hold enough cleaning solution to cover the plunger and some of the handle. What if it was covered with solution at the time of an emergency. Contaminated cleaning solution would splash on both, quick removal of the plunger and replacement.
Another example of a canister is U.S. Pat. No. 7,900,287 B2—by Wildauer, Agami, and Metaxatos, this patent uses disposable plunger cups and disposable cleaning pads. There is a spring mounted on the handle used to attach and detach the disposable toilet implements. The handle and the disposable implements are kept in a large canister. A foot pedal is used to open and close the door flaps. This must be kept replenished. It could be too easy to run out of plunger cups and cleaning pads. What if plunging was required repeatedly? You could choose to keep the same disposable plunger on the handle, but it would have to be stored on the floor. There is no place to save a dirty plunger attached to the handle in this canister. The floor would become contaminated with toilet water.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,374 A—by Wilk and Wilk, this patent has a spring-loaded latch that allows the handle to telescope in on itself, making the handle of the plunger shorter. This would take entirely too long to open and ring the hole with the spring-loaded latch in an emergency, especially if you were a guest in some-one else's home and the toilet overflowed. How embarrassing that would be. The variety of different canisters it can be housed in are large and cannot fit in small areas. Removing the plunger from the canister and then lengthening the handle is entirely too much time wasted.
Another containment system must use a specific plunger to fit within the tray. It is U.S. Pat. No. 20140116902 A1 by Dressel, DRESSEL, MARKU, and Webb. It has many parts and also disposable implements that must be kept replenished. This could become a huge inconvenience and would be costly. This containment system is not mold and mildew resistant or machine washable and must be cleaned by hand. The cover to this tray only covers half of the tray and thus only half of the plunger. The cover must be put into place manually.
If someone had company visiting and they had no idea how to operate a plunger receptacle, and they needed the plunger immediately, the time it would take to maneuver the plunger loose of its doors and flaps could be devastating to the bathroom floor and other accessories. Not to mention the embarrassment it would cause.
The above holders and receptacles and toilet plungers that go with these receptacles have either spring loaded latches, hinges, screws, rivets, adhesives, or a foot pedal to operate their doors or flaps, and are not guaranteed not to tip over. Any of these with movable parts only increase the risk of breaking. Many of these have several parts to keep up with, these could be separated and lost leaving the device unusable. What is needed is a device that overcomes all of these objectives. A devise that keeps toilet water off of the floor. A devise that is small enough to fit beside and to the rear of the toilet. What is also needed is a device that is pleasing to the eye, decorative. Also, something that is mold and mildew resistant and does not have to be cleaned manually but can be cleaned in a washing machine. What is also needed is the guarantee of the holder not to tip over. And most important is the need for speed, to just pick up the plunger when needed and use it, leaving no chance for an overflow of toilet products if at all possible. The present invention offers all of this.
There are many receptacles, canisters and holders that have been patented but there is nothing patented that resembles this plunger holder. One that is small with a vertically raised edge to prevent water runoff. One that is so simple to manufacture, and cost effective. One that can hold any standard plunger. One that is mold and mildew resistant and machine washable. One that can be used immediately without any cause of hesitation.